New brand proposed for city, Crook County

With a few months of planning under their belts, the Branding Committee (BC), made up of 16 volunteers, proposed a new logo and tagline for the community at Tuesday's Prineville City Council meeting. "Everybody seemed to be very favorable when it was presented at the meeting," BC member Shauna Zinn said. "There were a lot of yes nods, which I thought was good." "I think for the most part, people are going to embrace it," BC member Kathy Gaillard added. "For the most part, I think it took the best of the area here and what we're all about." The proposed brand, which has yet to be officially approved by the city or county, is detailed with Prineville's history including a contemporary approach. The project was funded by a $2,500 grant from the city council. "One of my desires early on was that I didn't want to lose the history of the area," BC member Jerry Brummer said. "The background is a wood grain. This county and city was very dependent on timber for years. Also the wagon wheel was how we all got here. When the wagons came west, my great-great granddad was on the Lost Meek Wagon Train of 1845. That's how we all got here to begin with. It didn't matter if we worked in the woods or we were farmers or ranchers - we got here by wagons. From my perspective, that was what I wanted to see." "`Forever Country' really speaks to the values that we hold," BC member Rodd Clark added. "Our country values are what make this community what it is - a great community." "All of the different aspects of that brand, there are meanings in the wagon wheel, there's meaning in the wood background. The text is not an old type text, it's more of a new, modern text," BC member and Chamber treasurer John Allen said. "It encompasses the history. The wagon wheel is not only a sign of our past, but it's also symbolic of going somewhere." With the positive response coming in, the BC is hoping the design will be used throughout the county, with the process being started at the Chamber. "The people I've talked to around town that have seen it have been encouraged by it," Allen said. "I know at the Chamber of Commerce, we are in the process of changing our letterhead. We're adopting it now." The possibilities are seemingly endless for the brand to take hold within the government departments. "We would like to see everyone incorporate it into their signage, their letterheads, and their faxes," Allen continued. "It would look good on the side of a police car. If we could get all of the agencies using a similar logo brand, it would go a long way to create the same image." "Our goal is that the brand would be as disseminated as possible. Even business owners that might want to use that brand to show that they are part of Crook County, part of Prineville - that it would just show up everywhere," Zinn added. "We want to encourage the use of it throughout Crook County." For now, the BC is waiting to hear the response of the city and county. If all goes as planned, the brand will soon be seen throughout the area, on government letterheads and business cards, and decals in local businesses. "We made it so it would fit in Paulina and Post, because they are all part of this area," Gaillard said. "It has to be all about everybody. We're all really excited about it."